FFFF 2008 Photos
Three sets of photos from the recent FFFF convention held April 23-26 2008: Paul Gordon from his lecture and performance Robin Dawes Flickr Set Antony Gerard's comprehensive day-by-day account
Smoke and Mirrors
Christiaan Lopez-Miro has a new gallery of photos on his site called Smoke and Mirrors, click on the Images link and then Smoke and Mirrors. In his words: These photographs are suppose to be about the moments between the performance. The moments when the magician is simply alone contemplating his/her own craft. They are meant to be very intimate photographs that confront the viewer.
MagicTricks.tv
Another Youtube index has recently emerged at MagicTricks.tv. It is owned and run in direct conjunction with the Magic Tricks Store, www.magictricks.co.uk It is aimed at anyone with an interest in magic and has been designed to put many magic videos in one place. They have designed the site so the videos are listed in specific categories, to help you find the video you are after even quicker! The majority of videos on MagicTricks.
AbraTube
James Munton has opened a new youtube video site, from his post on The Magic Cafe: I got frustrated trying to search YouTube for good magic videos. You have to wade through the thousands of bedroom magicians doing awful card tricks. So I put together a website that allows people to post their favorite YouTube (and Google) magic videos. They are categorized and searchable. My hope is that magicians will post their favorite YouTube videos and we will build a collection of videos that will be a great resource.
Magicology: The Study of Magic
From Ryan Swigert: Just wanted to let everyone know that I created a new site called Magicology: The Study of Magic. On it, you can learn some of my latest tricks for free, interviews with various magicians, and much more… For more information, please visit: www.magicology.com Many thanks, Ryan Swigert
Monday Night Magic Moving
Monday Night Magic, New York City’s longest-running Off-Broadway magic show, is moving to our biggest and best location yet! Now in our 11th continuous year as New York’s home for magic, we are thrilled to announce that on June 23rd - that’s just three weeks away! - the curtain will go up on Monday Night Magic at The Bleecker Street Theatre. The Bleecker Street Theatre is newly renovated with comfortable seating, an intimate theater design, a spacious lobby (soon to feature its own bar and caf
Blog Database Issues
You may have noticed we have been down for the past week or so (or you may not!) To cut a long story very short, my database crashed, in particular the table holding all the blog posts! This was marked as in use and I couldn’t repair it. After struggling with my host I have gone back to an old backup and restored all the posts up to the point of the crash.
Magictricks.co.uk New Ownership
News just in from Keelan Leyser and Charlotte Marie. They have taken over the running of Magictricks.co.uk from Carl Fraser, from their e-mail: MagicTricks.co.uk has new owners headed by British Magical Grand Prix Champions, Keelan Leyser and Charlotte Marie. The transfer from Carl Fraser from Fraser Simpson Associates took place recently and we have been keeping a low profile for the past few months while we get everything ready for the
Magic Convention Guide: Relaunch
A while ago we mentioned that Noel Qualter had launched The Magic Convention guide, which has lay dormant now for a little while. Now its back under the ownership of Andrew Webb, you can see the relaunch post over at his blog, support him with your comments, and if you think you can submit a review or help to cover a convention let him know.
Enlightenment Update
For those of you not keeping track, Ben Harris has been teasing us over his new micro-levitation system over at the Cafe for the last 8 or 9 months: Well he promised that he would do something revolutionary to the magic process, and release a product specification telling you exactly what the method is behind the trick and what you would recieve for your money so you can make an informed buying decision.
Michael Close launches new magic forum
Why another Magic Forum? Lisa and I have started a new venture - an Internet forum for magicians. There are, of course, several forums out there already. It is my dissatisfaction with these existing forums that prompted the development of this new forum. In the early 1990s, I was one of the people who helped Joe Stevens with the start-up of his Gemini Board. At the time, I was excited by the possibilities that the Internet held for useful, stimulating, and creative discussion.
Watch Magic Tricks on video at Download Magic
This just in from Steve Fearson: I’m working on something right now that I think could spread some major smileage and it doesn’t have to be finished to do it. Click this with all your might: http://www.downloadmagic.com/video I know you already know what youtube is, but having an experienced magi-guide is invaluable when it comes to finding the good stuff. Click on Dai Vernon and watch the cups and balls.
Press Release - The FISM
London, 10 March 2008 - This November and for the first time ever, the FISM
FISM European Championships of Magic - CANCELLED
I was looking forward to going to Sofia in November but looks like it has all fallen through, more time to save for China I guess! From the website: Dear All, Due to unforeseen circumstances, restricted organizational capacity and unexpected financial strains, jeopardizing the initial budget, it is with great regret that the FISM European Executive Board has to inform you that the FISM European Championships of Magic, planned to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 6 to 9 November 2008, have to be cancelled.
Blackpool 2008: Sunday The Home Straight
Sunday was another early start but what a lecture. FISM Card Champion Helder Guimaraes explained three blockbuster effects. He started with a great visual transposition, similar in style to the Daley effect but with two of the aces isolated in a glass, which changed places with the aces on the table. Cards, Signatures and Glasses was his version of a technicolour cards-across plot, with a very clean handling based on David Regal’s with no technical moves he caused two signed red cards to jump across to a blue packet, again the packets being isolated in wine glasses and held by two spectators.
Blackpool 2008: Saturday Marathon
Saturday started with a lecture from Martin Sanderson, pretty standard stuff but all done very neatly in a commercial way, Ambitious Card, Coin under Watch, Chop Cup, Bill in Kiwi and Martins Little Sausage which is his take on ring flight, using a stuffed dog, where the ring ends up on the collar. David Solomon was excellent as expected, he was showing items from his new book, his take on Peter Kane’s Gypsy Curse, his new packet trick Knaves Gone Wild, Mexican Poker which is a great 10 card poker deal of the non-jonah variety.
Blackpool 2008: Friday Lectures Ahoy
After a wander around the dealers it was time to start with the lectures. First up was David Sousa, maybe I had high expectations having read about his red envelope act but this was possibly not the best way to start the convention. It could have been an interesting lecture in the right setting, but to 400 people in the Spanish Hall it was lost. He basically talked about making sure you can be seen on stage, especially with manipulation.
Blackpool 2008: Arrival
Arrived at Blackpool, rained hard on the way, just checked in, staying across the road from The Ruskin and round the corner from the winter gardens. Just about to go and register and have a look round dealers before the list of lectures start, will try and get to them all (I will miss the close-up which I do most years anyway) and will hopefully report back later. Just grabbing a sandwich and coffee in hotel room, and typing this on the EEE thanks to somebody’s open router (not paying 10/24hr for hotel wifi, when will hotels learn that we expect free wifi now it should be as part of your experience as getting a TV and coffee facilities!
Home of the Review
The Magic Review: a new review site started by Matt Tarrant from Australia. He hopes to “build a complete and honest, non-biased review styled site” reviewing Effects, Cards, Local Magic Shops, Lectures and Performances. They also have a competition to launch the site, just sign-up to the site and you are entered into a draw to win some Wynn playing cards.
I Photography Competion
The Cuso I Photography Competition: Alejandro is running a magical card related photography competion over at his blog, details from him as follows: Today the I Photography Competition begins. If you are a magician, flourisher, cardist, xcmer, poker player, sleight of hand artist, cheater, playing card collector, or you just like taking photos you have a chance to Wynn, ehmm… i mean win these cool prizes: 1st place: 12 Decks of Wynn Playing cards (6 red / 6 Blue)